Campaign finance leftovers from 2010 who gave to everybody?

Whats Wrong, Really, With Using Campaign Funds For Personal Purposes?
I’m not a big fan of Christine O’Donnell, the Tea Party favorite and unsuccessful Candidate for the Senate from Delaware. Indeed, whenever one of her “I’m you” commercials appeared on my TV, I got up and shouted: “No you’re not.” But whatever the merits of recent reports that say she may be under investigation for inappropriately using campaign funds, I have to say that laws that make this illegal strike me as wrong. Why shouldn’t candidate...

New year, new rules
Major reforms to the way Illinois politicians raise campaign cash and new state workers collect Pension benefits take effect with the new year, both sets of changes inspired by the departure of disgraced ex- Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The state's first limits on political contributions were a direct response to Blagojevich's arrest, Impeachment and indictment on blockbuster government Corruption charges centered on Shakedown allegations. And the gridlock over slowing runaway state Employee Pension c...

Jessica Levinson: Recalling Schwarzenegger's Tenure as Governor
Like it or not, the Governator will not "be back." We've had a long run with him, seven years. The Economy is now, undeniably, in the tank. Questions continue to linger as to whether California is governable. Answers are many, but real solutions too often seem few and far between. So behind all the rhetorical noise, it is worth asking, how did the Governator do and what does his tenure mean for the future of California? To answer those questions, let's take a look at a few key issues: Budget...

Top N.J. Democrats say group tied to Christie skirted pay-to-play law
TRENTON - Some New Jersey lawmakers have called for the cancellation of state contracts with contributors to Reform Jersey Now, a political organization tied to Gov. Christie that released its list of Donors this week after months of criticism that it lacked transparency. Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono (D., Middlesex) and Assembly Majority Leader Joseph Cryan (D., Union) accused the organization of skirting the state's pay-to-play law, which bars firms that receive more than $17,500 in sta...

New year, new rules on campaign cash, pension benefits
Major reforms to the way Illinois politicians raise campaign cash and new state workers collect Pension benefits take effect with the new year, both sets of changes inspired by the departure of disgraced ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The state's first limits on political contributions were a direct response to Blagojevich's arrest, Impeachment and indictment on blockbuster government Corruption charges centered on Shakedown allegations. And the gridlock over slowing runaway State Employee Pension c...

Progressive PAC questions whereabouts of New Jersey Governor
The political action committee, Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC PAC), is questioning New Jersey's Republican Governor Chris Christie on his whereabouts. Governor Christie has been vacationing in Florida, at Disney World, with his family since last weekend. While the Governor was away, New Jersey was hard hit by a severe blizzard. New Jersey's roadways were in poor condition for days while the Governor was out of town. But the Governor's Christmas week Vacation was not the only time t...

How Government Regulations Push Up Cost of Medicine and Limit Patient Choice
It’s no secret that Health Care is an industry beset by huge problems. The problem doesn’t as much stem from “evil Insurance Companies” as it does from a system created by federal and State Governments to make a system as economically inefficient as possible. For instance, most people do not pick their own Insurance companies. Their employer does. The customer then isn’t the consumer, it is the business that contracts them to provide Insurance for their employees....

Vermont, Montana Lead Battles Over Assisted Suicide in 2011
Vermont and Montana will form Ground Zero for the debate over Assisted Suicide in 2011 as legislatures in both states are expected to tackle bills related to the subject. Alex Schadenberg of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition is closely following the machinations of both legislatures and he provides further insight. “The newly elected Governor of Vermont, Peter Shumlin, is committed to legalizing Assisted Suicide in that state,” he said. Shumlin told the lobbying arm of the pro-assi...

O'Donnell Denies Misuse of Campaign Funds
Christine O’Donnell, the losing Republican Candidate for Senate in Delaware,  defended herself on Thursday against allegations that she misused campaign funds for personal use and said that a possible Criminal Probe of her activity was a politically motivated attack by Democrats. The Associated Press reported Wednesday that the FBI has launched a Criminal Probe into whether Ms. O’Donnell used funds from her three political campaigns to pay for personal expenses like rent for her home. Spea

Retrospective on Louisvilles Mayor, Jerry Abramson: PART SIX
Jerry was usually not averse to doing political favors for his big supporters, from time to time.  What’s the good of being a Mover & Shaker, if you can’t get a break from City Hall?  I remember clearly one incident, involving the white-on-black No Parking signs. During the last administration of Dr. Harvey Sloane, the city’s Traffic Engineering Department experimented with a more “eye-pleasing” type of signage on a few downtown streets.  Instead ...

Christine O'Donnell, Class A Conspiracy Theorist
OK, so maybe she’s not a witch. But Christine O’Donnell is revealing herself as a class A Conspiracy theorist, aggravating the condition with the remarkably self-centered view that she is the Victim of a White House scheme to destroy her. O’Donnell, the ridiculed and failed GOP Senate Candidate from Delaware, is reportedly under investigation for misuse of campaign funds. This is hardly a huge surprise; there were allegations during her run for the Senate that she had used ca...

Christine O'Donnell Thinks Joe Biden, Not Witchcraft, Is After Her
The Associated Press reported Wednesday that federal authorities had opened a Criminal Investigation into allegations that Christine O'Donnell, a former Candidate for the U.S. Senate from Delaware, had misused Campaign Contributions. The key facts went like this: Although O'Donnell's campaign has denied wrongdoing, she has acknowledged she paid part of her rent at times with campaign money, arguing that her house doubled as a campaign headquarters. Federal law prohibits candidates from spending ...

O'Donnell blames foes for funds allegations
FILE - In this Sept. 17, 2010 file photo, Delaware Republican Senate candid... WASHINGTON (AP) - Former Senate Candidate Christine O'Donnell went on the offensive Thursday following reports that Federal Prosecutors are looking into whether she illegally used campaign money for personal use, saying the accusations are politically motivated and stoked by disgruntled former campaign workers. The Delaware Republican appeared on several network television morning shows to defend herself a day after ...

State representative wants a law that would stop Kwame Kilpatrick's use of his campaign funds to pay his defense lawyers
On the heels of a Free Press story about former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's use of campaign funds to pay his lawyers, Rep. Marty Knollenberg, a Troy Republican, said his aim is to prevent more politicians from using campaign money to defend themselves against Criminal Charges. Kilpatrick used more than $976,000 from his re-election account to pay lawyers who defended him against criminal charges stemming from the 2008 Text Message Scandal. "Once a...

Biggest Political Stories of 2010
2010 was a year full of politics, with most of the year spent leading up to the Nov. 2nd General Election.   In that election, the voters of Williamson County were in step with voters throughout most of Texas and most of the United States by electing or re-electing Conservatives to office.  Unlike the 2008 election, when the first Democrat in many years won an election in Williamson County and Democrats throughout Texas and the nation won, 2010 was a year for big Republi...

Primaries For Palin
A website has sprung up with instructions for Democrats on how to vote for Sarah Palin in states that will hold open primaries in 2012. From the site's FAQ page: Our purpose is to have Democrats and Independents help to nominate Sarah Palin as the Republican Candidate for president in state primaries. In numerous head-to-head polls, Palin is the only likely Republican Candidate who would soundly lose to Obama in the General Election. All other likely Republican Candidates either beat Obama or ...

O'Donnell: Spending accusations are 'thug' tactics
Failed U.S. Senate Candidate Christine O'Donnell said Thursday that accusations she misspent campaign funds are politically motivated and stoked by disgruntled former campaign workers. The Delaware Republican appeared on several network morning shows to defend herself a day after The Associated Press reported federal authorities have launched a Criminal Probe to determine whether she broke the law by using campaign money to pay personal expenses. O'Donnell, the Tea Party favorite who scored a su...

Christine O'Donnell Is Being Persecuted by the FBI Because Just Because
So, you may have heard that there's maybe a federal investigation underway to determine if Senate Candidate hilarious performance artist Christine O'Donnell misused campaign for personal use such as rent, broomsticks, eyes of newt, etc. Obviously, this is merely a case of the FBI and the Vice President's office persecuting Christine O'Donnell for reasons that make obvious sense. Obviously! "There's been no impermissible use of campaign funds whatsoever," O�...

ODonnell: Spending accusations are thug tactics
Stumble This! Failed U.S. Senate Candidate Christine O'Donnell said Thursday that accusations she misspent campaign funds are politically motivated and stoked by disgruntled former campaign workers. The Delaware Republican appeared on several network morning shows to defend herself a day after The Associated Press reported federal authorities have launched a Criminal Probe to determine whether she broke the law by using campaign money to pay personal expenses. O'Donnell, the Tea Party favorite ...

NYT editorial: When Election Police Go Easy
You would not lose a bet at the Caucus Room, the watering hole for power Lobbyists, by wagering that the most dysfunctional agency in Washington is the Federal Election Commission. For years, far too many commission members have put their partisan loyalties far above that of the public interest. The dysfunction has now reached the point where commission members are routinely ignoring the recommendations of their staff investigators rather than enforce the nation’s election laws. This was the...

TAINTED LOVE: Lockyer, Chiang Got Campaign Money From Fraud-Tainted Developer. Two high-level sta
TAINTED LOVE: Lockyer, Chiang Got Campaign Money From Fraud-Tainted Developer. “Two high-level state officials have frozen nearly $150,000 in Campaign Contributions raised for them by a low-income housing developer now accused of bilking government agencies. State Treasurer Bill Lockyer and state Controller John Chiang said they have put the money into separate accounts while they await the outcome of a federal Probe into Advanced Development and Investment Inc. The company has built doz...

Right Turn: More on imperfect candidates
Readers chimed in to inquire about some names I did not discuss yesterday in analyzing the potential 2012 Republican Candidates' weaknesses. John Thune is an engaging, solid conservative who was one of John McCain's better surrogates during the 2008 Presidential Campaign. But, like Tim Pawlenty, his challenge is to define and distinguish himself from the crowd. In a profile this fall Stephen Hayes of the Weekly Standard wrote, " He has virtually no national profile. He worked briefly as ...

Incoming secretary of state had no role in cutting client's campaign-finance fine, official says
Both Gessler, an experienced Elections issues lawyer, and officials with the Secretary of State's office say his taking the reins of the office in January had nothing to do with the department's Dec. 15 decision to cut the $504,500 in fines against the Colorado Independent Auto Dealers Association down to $8,475. But both sides also acknowledge the appearance of potential conflict the situation presents. "Sure, but our job is to be as consistent and fair as possible and not take factors like tha...

Anti-abortion bills likely to be pushed in Kansas
Kansas anti-abortion Activists feel confident they will be able to push through laws in 2011 to further restrict the procedures. An ardent foe of Abortion rights becomes Governor in January and Republicans will have a big majority in the state House. Abortion rights opponents are looking to further restrict late-term procedures, increase reporting requirements for physicians and make it harder for Abortion clinics to get licensed. Gov.-elect Sam Brownbeck has said he will sign any anti-abortion ...

RNCs Michael Steele Tells NOM if Prop 8 is Struck Down, GOP Would Call for a Federal Marriage Amendment
I’m starting the New Year off with a concession: I was wrong about the National Organization for Marriage. I thought that the small cadre of Catholic antigay marriage Missionaries was mostly smoke and mirrors - as has been well-documented by the NOM Tour Tracker and the increasing public acceptance of marriage equality. But NOM is like a persistent, annoying gnat that just won’t go away or be swatted down. And judging from their spiffy new website and knack for getting props fr...